Clip loading machine



J. E. POOL ET AL CLIP LOADING MACHINE Nov. 2, 1948;

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 m m & M 7W2 JM s M Filed Jan. 14, 1947 J. E. POOL ETAL CLIP LOADING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 n'uem Tow Jbhn E. Poo/ Jhn' LU Pi Beaver Nov. 2, 1948. J. E. POOL ETAL CL IP LOADING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 14, 1947 w i" N Jhn L0. L 5 eaver Nov. 2, 1948. J. E. POOL ETAL CLIP LOADING MACHINE" 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 14, 19 47 Patented Nov. 2, 1948 UNITED STATES ATN CLIP LOADING MACHINE John E. Pool, Washington, D. (3., and John W. P. Beaver, Alexandria, Va.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 2 Claims.

1 The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to an article loadin machine, and more particularly it is directed to a device of this "character for expeditiously loading conventional blasting caps into waterproof clips of the type disclosed in my co-pending ap-. plication Serial No. 619,271, filed September 28, 1945.

. Blasting caps heretofore were loaded into clips by inserting the open ends of the blasting caps into engagement'with an extremity of the clips and forcing back the other extremity thereof.

This loading of the clips with the blasting caps is an operation which at present has to be performed by hand, and which is liable to involve loss of valuable time.

The object of the present invention is to obviate or avoid this disadvantage, and it consists of a machine which is capable of having the clips applied thereto and which enables clips to be mechanically expanded, permitting the blasting caps to be readily loaded into the clips.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described which is sim ple in operation, inexpensive to manufacture and not liable to get out of order.

With the above and other objects and advantages in View, the invention consists of certain features of construction and operation of parts which will hereinafter be described and shown in the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with the clip loading machine in an inoperative position;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof looking in the direction of the arrow a;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the device about to engage a flange on the extremity of a clip;

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing the machine in an operative position;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showingthe device engaged with a flange of the clip;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal view of the machine, the parts of which being in the same position as in Fi 4;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the device looking in the direction of the arrow b, Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a detail transverse sectional view taken on line VIE-VIII of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a detail vertical view taken on line IX-IX of Fig. 5;

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view similar to Fig. 5, and I Fig. 11 is a detail transverse sectional view taken on line XI& of Fig. 10.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a supporting frame indicated generally by I is provided, comprising dual vertically extending side plates 2, Fig. 2, with outwardly extending lower flanges 3 adapted tobe bolted to any suitable support (not shown). The upper edges 41 of the side plates 2 slope upwardly and a bed or base plate 5 is mounted by screws 6 in the side plates 2 in the same sloping plane and flush with the upper edges 4 thereof. The sloping angle of the base plate 5 provides for ease in placing an empty cap clip into position and removing the loaded clip from the machine.

A movable holding block I is adjustably mounted in a slot 8 provided in the lower end of the base plate 5 and a group of fixed fingers or pull hooks 9 are fastened on the front end of the holding block 1 by means of a pin ll, with the holding block 1 being movably mounted between upwardly extending portions l2 provided on the lower ends of side plate I3. The holding block 7 is adjustably actuated between the upwardly extending portions l2 by means of an adjusting screw 14 which extends through an end plate l5 mounted on the lower end of the bed plate 5 by screws l6, with the inner end of the adjusting screw 14 abutting against the bed plate. An adjusting nut H is mounted on the lower end of the movable holding block l', which is adapted to slide in the slot 8 formed in the lower end 0f the bed plate 5, as more particularly shown in Fig. 8. The side plates l3 are mounted on the bed plate 5 by screws l9 and have upwardly extending portions 28 provided on the upper ends thereof for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

A pair of spaced side plates 2| are mounted on the upper end of the base plate 5 by means of screws 22, which side plates 2! furnish bearings for a cam shaft 23 on which is mounted an arcuate-shaped cam 2a with rounded edge portions 25 and 25'. The cam 24 is adapted to engage a substantially rectangular-shaped, cut-out portion 26 having a cam surface 26 including a curved indented surface portion 21 of a cam follower plate '28. The cam follower plate 28 is provided with an inwardly extending arm 29 having an elongated slot 39 therein, which engages a pivot pin 3! fastened to the upper side plates 2|. On the inner end of the cam follower plate 28 are a pair of fingers or pull hooks 32 held in spaced relation by means of spacer blocks 33 and secured to the inner end of the cam follower plate 28 by a rivet 34 and a clamp bolt 35.

A cam lever 36 is mounted at one end to a bushing 37 mounted on'the cam shaft 23, which cam lever 36 isfprovidedeforturning and reversing the" icam 24 through? the arc: required to operatethe cam follower plate 28 for operating the pair of pull hooks 32 for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. Set screws 38 are provided.-on-.the-

bushing 3'! for adjusting the lever 36 on the cam shaft 23.

The clips used in carrying out the invention are In operation, using dual clips 4i and M in" back to back relationship: the -empty clips are placed on the machine-between -the-upwardlyextending' portions l2 and Zll dfthe side plates I3} with the"-lower-clip M engagingithe bed plate sert'ed' under the pull" hooks 9' on the holding;

block 'l inthe lower'en'd 'of'thebed plate 5; Re

ferring'toFig; l whichshows-the machine in an" inoperative position, the-"lever 36 "has been" actu' ated in" a counter-clockwise direction" or-to-the left,-- which causes I the cam 24 tob'e *rotated inth'e same" direction for operating th'e follower plate *28 in' such" amanner :as "to ca-use'the pull hooks-32 -"on'the-'inn'er 'end' thereofto'be in a'raised position. Upon rotating, the lever--3a prede-' termined'dista-nce-in aclockwisedirection; the

cam 24 is "rotated 'in' the samedirectiomuntll the" rounded edge portions"25-and""25 thereofen-gagecertain" sides of the" substantially: rectangular shaped, cut out-portion- 26 f the follower-plate 23;? whereby the" inner end of the follower plate is' caused to 'move' in a forward and downward". direction 'as'showndn Figs; 3and-5; with th-e pullcut outportion Zliofthefollower plate 28, the; follower plate is-a-ctuated to' cause the:front end.

thereof to'move'still further downwardly and to begin itsrearward motion, whereby the pull hook-s 32 are caused to engagethe extremityi39' of the-upperclip' 4! as illUstratedfinFig. 5;

the extremities-33and39 of the upper clip 3! apart 'or to -rbe'spread outwardly; A slight further movement of the lever 3'6"- causes" the rounded edge portion 'z-li of thewanr 24-to en.-

gage in the. indented cam -surface portion Z'I'of thecam-surface-ZS of thefollowenplate 28 which CkS1ltheEfO1'10WeI" plate 28; thereby holding'theiupp'errclip 4'l:by means ofthe-pull hooksfitin asafe" and convenient position f'or laying blasting capsLM intO place in the uppenclip' fl asillus= tratedtiniIligz .6...

Reversing: the motion. oftlie lever 36*to" the left; or.- in; a: counterclockwise direction, the; followerrplate: 285 is:unlccl ed" and the operation Upon rotating Still further movement ofthe lever--36 to the" right. causes the fol-lowenplateZS to move rearwardly; wlferebythe pull hooks 32 grip a'nd pull on the extremity 39 of the upper .clip 4| which spreads 7 provided 'a novel and efficientiorm of devi-ce: for? 4 of the parts is reversed as described above, which permits the extremities 39 and 39' of the upper clip 4! to spring back into their original position for retaining the blasting caps 44 in the upper clip ll. The dual clips 4| and 5! are then removed from-the machineand: placed .onrthe machine in areversedposition; with the loaded clip M on the bottom and the empty clip ll on top after which the operation is repeated as above described During the actuation of the follower plate 28"by the cam 2%, the slot 30 provided in theefoll'owenplateis"moved on the pivot pin 3i until thepin engages an end of the slot 39.

To employ, a single clip 42 in the machine, a spacing block 45"isused which has the same depth as the clip as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. By adjusting the block I in the slot 8 in the lower endfiofthebed-plate 5 either in a forward or rearward direction by means of the adjusting screw I 1, different size cap clips may be used in the'machine;

It will thusbe "seen that 'th'ere-has herein been loading blasting caps which -is well"adapted for the purpose-intended: Even though-there has herein-beenshown-the device as 1 comprising certain features of construction and' operati-on of parts; it is nevertheless -'to' b'e-' understood that various changes may-bemacl-etherein; if thechanges do not departiromthe spiritor' scopeof the claims.

Having thus-described our invention, what: we claim and WiSlTtO secure by Letters "Patent is;

l. A machine for loading clips h'avingextremities cooperating to receive and retain blasting caps, comprising a support; an adiustably-moun-ted block, pull hooks-mountedon said block; said pull hooksadapted to engage one extremity-of the clips, and manually actuated means-includ ing -a-cam shaft, .a cam mountedon said shaft and a' follower plate actuatedby said' cam, saidfollower block coacting with the otherextremityof the clips for spreading: the extremities ofthe-- clips apart, whereby the blasting caps may beloaded in. the: clips which are actuated-by the cam. f ollower. plate: for: releasing said extremities whereby the: caps' are retainediin the clips.-

2.: A-machinewfor'loading. clips havingsextremie ties cooperating to receivepand'sretain blasting: caps, comprising a" support, an. adjustably mounted block, pull hooks; mounted on said block; said pull hooks adapted to berengagedbyi'one: extremity of the clips; and manually actuated; means including a: cam shaft; a: cam 'mountedon said shaft, a, follower plateactuatedr'by said .cam, and pull hooks mounted: on onev end: of. saidwv follower plate,- said follower plate adapted to:be actuated by said cam for causingthe lastemene tioned ,pull hooks to coast: with the; other eX- tremity of the clips for spreadinggthe extremities; of the clips apart, whereby the blasting: caps'may; beloaded. in .the clips. which aresactuated by; the cam follower plate. for releasing. said extremities whereby the caps areretained. in the clips;

JOHN. E. POOL... JOHN-.W; P. BEAVER:

REFERENCES CITED" FOREIGN PATENTS Country. Date; Great Britain -e .Eeba23yjl93lt Number 

